The Lupine Saga 53

Posted on January 9, 2021 by James Ashman

“Well, if you must insist. It was quite funny, I suppose. It started with one boy falling out of a basket of apples, and led to us catching three more hidden in the midst of them.” Darius summarized the conversation he had had with the bartender, and then spoke up to the point where he delegated Var to the boys.

“Let’s see then, Var’s report says that he had them stay in an inn near the middle of town. Nothing very exciting after that. He said they didn’t cause much of a ruckus, made friends with the orphan girl who assisted the innkeeper, and were safely escorted back home. It says here, wait, this cannot be right.” Darius looked closely at the page in front of him.

“What’s wrong, Darius?” Fidel asked inquisitively. He was feeling excited at the new development.

“Well, I know for a fact there were four boys we caught. But this report has five boys. I remember these four here. The half-lupus, the half-felis, the lupus, and the swine, but there is a fifth here, a human. Tanned skin, strangely colored robes? Red and yellow paint on his cheeks? I don’t recall this child at all.” By the time Darius finished scratching his head, the smile had left Fidel’s face.

“First things first, I need to confirm this. Tensh, come here,” Fidel commanded. A very old white hare took his place in front of Fidel, a large folder in his hands.

“At your service,” Tensh said slowly.

“The census was recently taken again, I believe. Tell me, Tensh, how many halfs live in Rising?” Fidel asked.

“Sire,” the old Hare said as he slowly flipped through the pages, “halfs are extremely rare. I’m sure we all understand why. Ah, here it is. Two. No record of any half being born or even living in the city for the last three hundred years is even found. Two born in the same decade, what coincidence. Just those two, Sire. I’m not sure if many more even exist in the rest of the world.”

“Just as I thought. This coincidence is too much. Darius!” Fidel assumed a commanding air.

“Yes, Sire?” Darius stood at attention, realizing that he was about to receive official orders.

“Bring me the five children in your officer’s report,” Fidel stated.

“Sire? But they are just children, what could you want with them? Surely, their parents have punished them enough. No one was hurt or affected by them either,” Darius said, astonished.

“Just bring them, all of them. I’ll tell you now; they are not going to be punished. Far from it. Please, there is something important I must check,” Fidel said.

“Yes sir!” Darius quickly replied. Darius felt awful at the sound of Fidel pleading, as it was Darius’ duty to always obey the words of the king. He quickly walked out of the room, now that he had been officially dismissed.

#

“Find anything yet?” Pete asked as he put down a heavy book.

“Nope,” Kelin replied.

“This is only a school library, after all,” Va’il said as he rubbed his eyes, “there probably isn’t anything helpful at all. Sorry Geon.”

“It’s alright, you tried. As I thought, there is only one option. But just how will I meet with the King?” Geon asked, mostly to himself.

“We will figure that out later. School’s about to start,” Kelin said.

“If you think you have the way figured out, you can head back to my house. We will meet up after school,” Pete said. Geon nodded to Pete and stood up. He was wearing normal clothes so he wouldn’t stand out in the city. The boys had decided on searching Makeen’s library for any information on the maroon and ancient civilizations; however, they were having trouble finding anything relevant. They had come very early when the school opened, and spent the last hour in a fruitless search for anything of substance. It was especially difficult since they didn’t know exactly what they were searching for. Geon left the grounds, and the rest of the boys walked to their first class with Sensei.

The boys were the last students to arrive in the classroom, however Sensei was absent. After a couple minutes, Sensei arrived, perfectly on time to start class. He took his place at the head of the room and looked out over the students. Everyone sat down and went silent.

“I see no one is late. Good. Well in that case, I have an announcement to make. I’m horrible at drawing things out, so I’ll be direct. Come in,” Sensei said.

The class turned their heads in unison as the door to the classroom opened again. In walked a lupus girl who stared straight ahead at Sensei. She was wearing a green dress and tall boots. She had long brown hair that was tied in a ponytail. Her hands were in front of her, holding a few books. She walked next to Sensei and bowed slightly without looking up.

“Thank you for taking care of me,” she said to the students, “my name is Teena Fen, daughter of Alen. Pleased, really.”

“Teena will be in our class from now on. Treat her well. She’ll need to be caught up on more than just a few things, so any help you can give her is appreciated. There is an empty seat over there, at the back. You can have it,” Sensei said.

Teena looked out over the classroom. She opened her eyes widely in surprise when she saw a few familiar faces smiling at her. She smiled in return and waved, then walked towards the empty desk next to Harnes. Harnes stared at her silently with large and inquisitive eyes. She had a large notebook in front of her that was full of notes and research.

“Welcome,” Harnes whispered, “I’m Harnes.”

“Thank you,” Teena whispered in reply. She smiled at Harnes.

“Hey,” Kelin said in a low voice towards the deeri boy next to him.

“Yes?” the boy asked in a cautious tone.

“She’s shorter than you. That bovine in front of her is pretty large. Switch seats,” Kelin said, ordering the boy. The boy looked at Kelin with a confused look that lasted only a couple seconds. The look that Kelin shared with only him forced the gears in his head to turn quickly. He tapped Teena on the shoulder, pointed at the large child in front of her, and in a matter of moments, they had switched seats. Sensei watched as the boy switched with Teena, and silently approved the change with a mark on the seating chart. Neither he nor Teena had noticed Kelin’s action. Teena and Kelin shared a look of recognition, but didn’t speak because Sensei had started his lecture.

School ended, however Teena had to leave right away, much to the students’ dismay. She quickly explained that because that was her first time there, the family that had taken her in wanted to pick her up from school right away.

“They are a wonderful older lupus couple, childless themselves. The wife is a schoolteacher, and has been considering having a child for the past decade now, so they were very happy to take me in. So you see; I don’t want to make them wait. Sorry boys,” Teena said quickly with an apologetic smile. She ran out of the classroom. The boys remained sitting in the classroom as they recovered from the small shock.

“Well, at least she’s here, of all places,” Pete said happily.

“We’re going to have to grill her for information later. A happy family that took her in, childless as they are? Suspicious,” Zeick said while staring off into the distance with what was supposed to be a look denoting suspicion.

“I’m just happy. Another friend. Of course, I have so many questions now. What really happened with her family? Why is she orphaned? Who took her in? Are they nobles? Why would they take an orphaned refugee into their house? So many questions.” Va’il scratched his head while thinking of what he should ask.

“Priorities. First, there is a whole set of questions posed by another friend, remember?” Kelin asked while trying to change the subject. It worked.

“Geon,” the other three said in unison.

“Exactly. Let’s get out of here; he’s probably being stuffed like a swine at Pete’s house. It’ll be really inconvenient if he can’t move when it comes time to fight our way through the king’s guards,” Kelin said with a smile. His joke went without applause from the group, who rolled their eyes then picked up their bags.

“Like Kelin said, let’s go,” Va’il said. The group walked out of the classroom together, ignoring everyone around them. Still sitting, watching, and hearing everything that had been done and said was Harnes. She didn’t look happy; however, Harnes rarely had a happy look on her face.

Va’il’s group exited the school building from the front, happily conversing. They got to the edge of the school grounds when they saw him. Darius, commander of the royal guard, was standing in the path, being carefully avoided by several cautious children who recognized the commander. At his side was Var, the massive bearan who looked far more fearsome than he really was.

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The Lupine Saga 52

Posted on January 2, 2021 by James Ashman

“Well, well, well, look who we have here. One, two, three, four truant children. What shall we do with you?” Sensei asked sarcastically. He was holding the cane in his right hand in a very menacing way, and pointing it at Va’il, Pete, Kelin, and Zeick.

“Nothing,” Kelin said, and then walked to his seat and sat down. He promptly pulled a book from his bag and started reading.

“Well, three then,” Sensei said sadly, “and what a wonderful three they are. Your progress will be affected by missing a couple weeks of class. Tests, tests, tests. I’m sure your parents have done more than enough physical punishment, my job is mental.” Sensei’s words made Pete squirm.

“Tests? Do we have to sit to do them?” Pete asked sheepishly.

“Sore, are we? Sitting will definitely be a part of it,” Sensei said with a hearty laugh. Pete and Zeick both sighed as they looked at their desks with fright. The teacher pointed towards the desks, and the other children howled in laughter as both boys took a while to sit. Each time they tried sitting, they yelped a bit, prompting more roars of laughter. Though they were laughed at, none of the boys were ridiculed by their peers. Everyone had already found out that the boys had tagged along with the soldiers. Everyone would treat them like heroes for the rest of the day. But, for now, the hilarious scene was too much to be contained.

Va’il sat when he was instructed to, but to every child’s dismay, he didn’t yelp in pain or take a while to sit. His clothes covered the bandages on his shoulder, so at that moment he was quite pleased with the punishment that Mai’ou had inflicted on him. At least it was her claws and not her fangs, he thought.

Sensei was a merciful person, and accommodated the truant group. He gave them a brief review of what the class had covered in their absence. He told them what to read and what they would be tested on. To make up for it, the four of them would be taking several tests all at once. If even one person didn’t pass one test, they would all have to take new ones. But he gave them three days to prepare, and Harnes assisted the boys during breaks. Her notes were very thorough, and she was happy to share them at Va’il’s request. The story that the boys told about their adventure was a simple one, and lacked any details about the maroon or Geon. They had earlier decided not to tell anyone about those things, because no one would understand, and the events themselves were confusing.

Due to Sensei’s accommodations, Mai’ou’s love, Harnes’ help, and the simple story that the boys told, Va’il’s life was back to normal by the next week. The group managed to make up for any missed schoolwork, and the talks of their heroism quickly faded. They found out that normal life was definitely better. One bit of normal had changed though. Geon was in Rising, and he was living with Pete.

#

Darius walked through the long hallway in the same way he had many times before. In his arms he held a thick binder filled with many papers. He arrived in the throne room and made his way to the front. He listened as Fidel finished speaking with the minister of technology. The minister had just finished giving her report.

“Very interesting. I’m sure we will find something for it to do in the future. Very well, granted. Your estimate?” Fidel asked.

“I already have metal workers creating a mold. Thank you Sire. I’m sure a prototype is only a few years off at most. Maybe a few months, now that your approval is concrete. Thank you.” She handed a paper to Fidel, which he signed and handed back. She then went back into the crowd of ministers and advisers.

“Ah, Darius,” Fidel said upon noticing the olive-green cloak, “I’ve been waiting for you.”

“King Fidel, Darius is at your service, as always,” Darius said while politely bowing.

“You’ve been back for a few days now. How come you’ve taken so long to greet me?” Fidel asked while smiling.

“Sire, I was inundated with reports. I’ve barely started organizing them. My preliminary report was sufficient, I hope,” Darius replied.

“Yes, Darius, it was. Tendal should be empty soon. It might be empty now, even. A pity the city is lost. But we can only do what we are able,” Fidel said while sighing.

“Yes, Sire. As for the warning, though?” Darius asked.

“Still nothing. I fear for our country, but we’re not completely unprepared for danger. I’ll discuss that later, in private, Darius,” Fidel said.

“Yes, Sire. As for the reports that I wanted to speak of, give me a moment to pull them out here. A casualty report and a census are most pressing.” Darius pulled a couple of papers from the binder and handed them to a servant, who promptly delivered them to Fidel on his throne.

“I see. Better, yet worse, than expected,” Fidel said as he glanced at each. “The relocation efforts are being handled. Hopefully those from Tella won’t have to suffer long.”

“Thank you, Sire. Next is the preliminary report of wealth obtained from Tendal. It’s been added to the treasury and carefully accounted. It should be redistributable towards the refugees in either cash or compensation soon.” Darius pulled another paper from the binder; however, another paper fell out and landed on the ground. He handed the report to the servant, and then picked up the paper on the ground.

Fidel watched as Darius first smiled at the paper in his hand, and then put it back in the binder. Fidel glanced at the report that the servant handed to him, and then looked at Darius again.

“The next report?” Fidel asked.

“That was all, Sire,” Darius replied. He bowed, then turned around and started walking away.

“Wait, Darius. You’re not excused yet.” Darius stopped in his tracks. He turned around and walked back. He had a puzzled look on his face.

“Excuse me, Sire. I apologize for not waiting. It’s just, pressing matters always await. Your commands?” Darius asked while wondering what Fidel meant.

“What was that other report, the one you just had?” Fidel asked, his curiosity rising.

“The one I handed to you was on the wealth we received,” Darius said in a confused manner.

“No, no, the one that fell to the ground,” Fidel said while flailing his hand, fluttering it, and then pointing at the ground.

“Oh, that was just a report submitted by a subordinate. It’s nothing that would be of concern to the king, really,” Darius said.

“That’s for me to decide. You laughed upon seeing it. My interest is piqued. Why wouldn’t it be of concern?” Fidel asked. His words were becoming faster and his interest was obvious.

“Sire, some children stowed away on the mission. My subordinate took care of them for a while, that is all,” Darius said. He thought that would be sufficient for Fidel.

“Oh? Now that is quite interesting. Go on, let’s hear the whole thing. I’m sure the room could use a good chuckle. Well, as long as the kids are safe. I assume so, since you wouldn’t dare laugh at a tragedy?” Fidel asked. The room murmured in agreement. Everyone, from the oldest minister to the haughtiest noble, agreed that it would be entertaining, at the least, to listen. No matter how serious they all were, the recent discussions had been depressing, and this small break was accepted by the group. One particular lupus in the back of the room put his hands over his face and shook his head.

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Ruminations and reflection on what I’ve done in 2020

Posted on January 1, 2021 by James Ashman
Ruby can't wait for TLC this year

Ruby from The Lupine Saga eagerly awaits her scenes in The Lupine Chevalier, coming 2021.

It has been a year since I started posting my book as a weekly post on this site. And it still has a few months to go before it is complete. In fact, March 20th is the day the next book, which has never been published, begins. And it will be longer. I look forward to going over it again, and planning out how to follow it up. While it posts plenty of time will pass, and it’s my goal to be able to continue the posts when that one ends as well. Though fortunately, it is longer and thus will take a while to get out.

I’m not in a rush for it, now that I settled on how to post the series. The story is still planned, the plot is partially written out and some key scenes have been thought out and written to some point. Anyways, moreso than just the ideas of the book, has been the non-writing changes I’ve made in the past year. Last January with the beginning of the posts here, that was just a single item in a list of things I wanted to do last year. And I seriously committed to them, in ways I never have attempted before.

As a result, I lost weight, got in seriously good shape – I’m able to say without any doubt whatsoever I’m in the best shape of my life, and that includes being better than any high school still-young fitness, strength training, and whatever else along the way. In December 2019 I started by doing small daily workouts. In March 2020 I added walking, first with a half a mile one day. In the freezing cold with snow outside, but it was something I’d planned, so I did it. By the end of April I was walking 20 miles a week. June, 30 miles weekly. And so on. I cut those back after losing enough to reach 150 lbs. That in total was 80 lbs. that I’d lost over the course of one year. I now only do about 6 miles a week, but in exchange I’ve been running part of them. As before, started small, first with 5 minutes here and there, then 8. Then pushing for 15 minutes of actual running. It varies by day, as that length of time is not easy for me to reach, but it’s a form of fitness I’ve never had before.

That’s just the outward and physical. I spent time reading, improving mentally and emotionally, working on areas I knew were problems and stumbling blocks. I was mostly completely alone for several years prior to late 2020. This last year I reconnected with people, improved existing relationships, and forged new connections. Studied things over and over. There were some things I made commitments to read over and over every few months to reinforce the points they made and take the value from them. I spent time learning more Japanese. Partially out of want since I’ve always been interested, but also as a memory tool. I feel better about remembering things now, to the point where the way I was learning the language stopped feeling beneficial. I’ll be using a new method. Well, that and I took much of the last few months off.

I spent so much effort from January to August that I relaxed moreso in September and October. At the end of August I made the move from Wisconsin to California. So there was settling in, items to plan and do, things to figure out, etc. I had actually lived pretty rigidly for the first eight months of last year. Especially when it came to food. Now I don’t, and am eating more. I gained about 5-7 lbs. back, while still losing some off the waistline; fortunately I kept working at increasing size in the right areas, and it seems effective. But with that loss of rigidity, as I no longer live alone and can strictly set my schedule – dogs are fantastic schedule interrupters – there has been some relaxation on those standards. For once though, I can actually call it relaxing.

Normally in the past when I’ve had time to “not do anything,” that’s accompanied by the anxieties of worrying about what I’ll have to do later. There’s always a list of items we have in the back of our minds of things we need to do eventually. I’ve been able to check a few of those off. There aren’t as many things to worry about. Problems that existed a while ago, whether they were mental, physical, or spiritual, have all been worked on to a rather good point. And of course, they each had goals to meet, and a set outlook of never being done with working on them, regardless of the met goals. And now, anxieties about life have greatly decreased. That said, much of that is because the work I do isn’t taxing. It also only pays modestly, but no matter how I think of it, it doesn’t seem like adding a dollar amount to what I make now will do anything but add stress. I make what is needed, and that is enough. If I later need more, then I have confidence that more will come to accommodate what is needed. So I’ve become a little better about not worrying about finances as well.

There is a point to all this. It is a kind of check-in personally. One thing that has been with me for a while is to not speak up about the good I might’ve done. After all, internally that can feel balanced against the things lacking or items that still need to be done. It isn’t humbleness, it’s lack of confidence or self-esteem. So I’m now writing out all the good I’ve done, things I’m proud of, as someone who has worked on their confidence. There are still trials and issues to have and work on, but having seen concrete progress, progress that has been tracked week by week, month by month, it adds confidence in knowing that success in personal advancement is possible when it is worked at. Of course, even still, it required having a motivation, something concrete to work toward. And so: I’ve done pretty good this last year. To add to that, I expect to be pretty good about what I do in 2021 as well.

One more thing: It’s not lost on me that 2020 was overall a discouraging year. For me it just happened to be that I already lived in virtual isolation, and all the things I worked on I could do alone without social interaction. So for most of the year, it was actually a very good period of time for me. But by the end of the year, after I’d made all these fixes and changes, then the effects of society closing down did start to affect me. I want the pandemic to end. Making friends, meeting someone new, is difficult in isolation. Being vastly self-improved is good and all, but when you’re in a bubble, doesn’t feel as good. Turns out even social recluses want recognition for the good they do. Especially when an item they’ve worked on for months is fixing that tendency to socially retreat!

As for this blog and the posts about The Lupine Saga: March 20th is when The Lupine Chevalier begins. It was mostly written ten years ago, and has gone through years of refinements. It is longer, but still feels somewhat short to me, even though it contains all I want in it. It is different than Prince. It’s more personal to me as well; it has more of my personality in it than the first book. Items that the first book set up are explored more in the second, and even it is more setup for what is to follow, though of course with an appropriate level of answers. For now, enjoy the representation of Ruby Louise Melonscone I found!

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The Lupine Saga 51

Posted on December 26, 2020 by James Ashman

The trip soon ended as they arrived in Rising. It was mid-afternoon, and the group had all fallen asleep. Var decided against waking them until he had dropped Va’il off, since he knew where Va’il lived. With all of them still asleep in the cart, Var knocked on the door he had knocked on years ago. He could hear the loud bangs that his fist made on the door, and hoped that the resident wouldn’t be too startled. It happened too often for Var to count.

“Hello? That knock is familiar,” a soft voice said from behind the door. It slowly opened to reveal Mai’ou. She looked confused, and her normally sharp eyes were very soft.

“Afternoon, Ma’am,” Var said.

“You are? I’ve seen you before. You brought Va’il back before. Va’il.” Mai’ou stopped and hung her head down. Var could hear her breath in deeply. He panicked at the sound, since he knew what would soon follow.

“Wait, Ma’am, don’t cry. Va’il, I’ve come to deliver him to you,” Var said as quickly as he could, for he didn’t want to upset Mai’ou further.

“Deliver? Deliver? Oh my, no, what do you mean deliver? My child, what condition was he in so that he has to be delivered?” Mai’ou was getting more upset at Var’s careless words.

“No, no, I mean. Wait, wait a second here.” Var moved to the cart and picked Va’il up out of it. Va’il was still sound asleep, and the journey had taken a toll on him, so he didn’t wake when being carried.

“He’s, he’s!” Mai’ou said as she looked at the sleeping Va’il.

“Just asleep, Ma’am. Just tired from the journey, nothing else. Dirty and smelly as well, I imagine.” Var handed the sleeping boy to his mother.

Mai’ou looked down at the dirty face, the bushy tail, and the hands that she hadn’t held in a while. She fell to her knees with Va’il in arm and cried, as any mother would, in a long and sobbing way. She held his head close to her chest as she wept just inches from him. He slowly breathed, and the warmth he emanated reassured Mai’ou that this wasn’t a dream. Var looked down at the couple as each tear washed dirt off Va’il’s face. He didn’t wait for thanks. Mai’ou surely would have thanked him profusely, if she wasn’t clenching Va’il in her arms. By the time she calmed down, she realized that Var had already left. She took her child inside the house, and closed the door behind her.

Va’il dreamed of a summer’s day. He stood in a field full of tiny hills and small trees, and considered what animals he should chase. The thought of rabbit stew crept into his mind, but was quickly pushed aside by the sight of pears. Then he felt the overwhelming warmth of the sunlight around him. He closed his eyes and embraced the feeling. The sweet smell of the fruit filled his nose in the dream, but it wasn’t the smell that a pear usually has. It was much more familiar, but he couldn’t describe what it was like. It was unique and pleasant, and it came from the warmth that surrounded him.

He opened his eyes, and noticed that it was dark. He was being held tightly by someone in the darkness. The dream he just had was already being forgotten, except for the smell of the pears. As his eyes adjusted to the light, he realized that Mai’ou was the one holding him, and she was the one he could smell. Why pears, he asked himself. He then fell asleep again.

The next time Va’il awoke, it was early morning. The sun had risen. He was alone in his own bed, the one he had been missing for a while. Light filled his simple room as he rubbed his eyes and cheeks. He got up as he thought about washing his face and taking a bath. Even he couldn’t stand the dirtiness that seemed to permeate him. Quietly, he left the room and entered the washroom.

“Va’il, are you up now?” Mai’ou called upon hearing Va’il’s steps.

“Yes,” he said in reply as he scrubbed his face.

“When you’re done there, I’ve made breakfast. Come and sit,” she said.

Va’il finished what he was doing, and then walked into the kitchen. He sat at the small table and stared at the braised meat and eggs waiting for him. It was an amazing sight to Va’il, since he hadn’t been eating well for the last week. He had earlier decided that fruit made a poor diet for a lupus.

“Thank you, Mum,” Va’il said very quietly. He couldn’t say anything else. He remembered that he had been very warm while asleep, but now there was a cold fear that surrounded him. He dared not look directly at Mai’ou, who had sat across from him. He couldn’t help but notice she was sitting without any food in front of her. She was looking at him. He ate quietly while she watched.

“Is it good?” Mai’ou asked.

“Yeah.”

“Good. Never again, alright?” she said with soft intensity.

“Yeah,” Va’il said. He moved each bite to his mouth just a little slower.

“I’m very lenient, you know that. I don’t mind if you go off and do things,” she said with warmth and compassion.

“I know.”

“It’s just, I have to know beforehand. You can go to the ends of Fervi, as long as I know more than a single sentence.”

“Sorry, Mum.”

“You don’t need to apologize, dear.”

“But I should.”

“Va’il. You’re mine.” Mai’ou stopped. Va’il was unsure if she meant to say anything more. He finally looked up. Mai’ou was staring at him intently. Her eyes were just as sharp as ever, but her expression was soft. She didn’t look upset or angry. Her hair was still straight and wet from being washed a short while ago. Her eyes did have a soft red glow around them, but the washing from earlier had erased the look she had the night before. To Va’il, Mai’ou looked normal, a realization that made his chest hurt.

“Was it amazing?” Mai’ou asked.

“What?” Va’il didn’t understand what she meant at first.

“The trip. Where you went. What happened. Was it amazing?” Mai’ou asked again.

“Oh. Hmm. Yeah. Incredibly.”

Mai’ou reached across the table and placed her right hand on Va’il’s left shoulder. She squeezed it hard as she spoke with a sweet smile.

“Good. Tell me everything later. I’m glad for you. But if you ever, and I mean, ever, do something like that again, you won’t freely get away with it. I won’t restrict you right now, since I know you respect that I don’t place many limits on you. In return, you’ve always been good. But if you do something without telling me, disappearing and worrying me and making me cry day after day, I’ll be angry afterwards. Right now, you silly boy, I’ve been too upset to feel angry. I’m just glad you’re safe, and home,” she said with tenderness.

As Mai’ou spoke, the claws in her hand extended and pierced Va’il’s shoulder. The way Mai’ou was, Va’il wasn’t sure if she even realized what she was doing. He was too frightened to cry in pain as the claws dug deeply into his skin. Mai’ou finished what she was saying and smiled. She was obviously holding back tears. Her grip relaxed, and she pulled her hand away from Va’il. Blood flowed out of each of the five holes in his skin and quickly soaked the shoulder of his shirt. Mai’ou quickly got up and pulled the shirt off Va’il. She went to work at once, finding bandages and wrapping the wounds. She didn’t look surprised to see the flowing blood, but Va’il knew better than to assume Mai’ou had meant to do that. It’s a small, far too small, punishment, he thought.

“Oh, you should get ready. But you’re still early, you can stay a while longer. The teacher will probably give you a stern talking, so you should be prepared,” Mai’ou said nonchalantly. She had thrown out the ruined shirt, and was finishing the last of the several bandages she had wrapped around Va’il’s shoulder.

“School?” Va’il was surprised to hear that word. It had, of course, occurred to him earlier that he would be returning to school after an unplanned vacation, but he hadn’t thought of it much.

“That’s right. School. You’re going. Today. Soon. Then you’re coming home after that.” Mai’ou’s tone left no room for misinterpretation.

“Right. I understand,” Va’il said obediently. Mai’ou patted Va’il’s shoulder. Va’il felt a small flash of pain that quickly subsided.

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The Lupine Saga 50

Posted on December 19, 2020 by James Ashman

“You don’t know? But you knew everything else! Wait, who are you, why do you know all that?” Kelin asked. Va’il and the rest were still incredibly confused.

“I should clear that up,” Geon said. “I’m from a small tribe that keeps knowledge of the maroon alive. Though, since it’s been thousands of years, we can only guess at the cause of the maroon waking, and we don’t know what the item is, exactly, anymore either. But because of what we do know, I’m sure that the reason they are doing this is exactly what I’ve said.”

“That inspires confidence,” Kelin said sarcastically.

“And that’s also what they say when I speak with them, for part of my duty is to be a communicator with the maroon,” Geon said.

“You communicate with those things? Then why do they attack the city? Didn’t they tell you what the item is?” Va’il asked.

“My xylophone lets me,” Geon said. “They communicate by resonating via various sounds and vibrations. But unfortunately, they are simpler, and don’t understand when I say the item isn’t here. They think much too slowly, and it takes me a few hours just to convince them to stop attacking. Lately I’ve been quicker, but I doubt they will listen to me much longer. They also aren’t able to describe the item. Their way of communicating is too different. They can only think of it as what it is, but are unable to describe it. It’s the same as trying to describe a color to a man blind from birth.”

“So, in other words, you’re not much help,” Zeick said bluntly. There was much disappointment in his voice.

“You’re probably right,” Geon said. He sighed, and then continued. “But that’s why I need to go to Rising and meet with the king. The king would be able to conduct a full-scale search for the item. The maroon are headed that way, so the item might be in Rising’s territory. I’m sure I could explain it to him. Unlike this governor, whose guards wouldn’t let me have an audience at all. And now his city is about to fall.”

“You think you can explain it better to the king than you did to us? Will that really be useful?” Va’il asked.

“I’m sure of it. Definitely, something will work out. And the library that the king of Rising has access to is supposed to be the greatest. Something might be there. That’s all that I can hope for, at this point. Do you believe me?” Geon asked.

“Believe? I’m still unsure of what’s going on. But we saw what those things were doing. And now things are starting to make a little more sense. This is why our soldiers were sent here,” Va’il said.

“Yes,” Geon said. “We were notified a few days ago that a group was coming from your city to take refugees. The way it looks now, the entire city might have to move.”

“What?” a startled Teena asked. No one had noticed her open the door. She had failed to knock either.

“Yes, the city is going to fall either way,” Geon said without thinking.

“I knew it,” Teena said in a surprising twist, “especially when the soldiers came with all those supplies. So, who are you?”

“Let’s say he’s a friend, for now,” Kelin said.

“Fine. Well, he’s welcome to a meal, at least,” she said with a faint smile.

The group thanked Teena, whose curiosity was peaked. They explained, as best they could, everything that had happened. Eventually, they realized just how late it was, and turned in for the night. Va’il shared his bed with Geon, since he was the only one that could. Sleeping in the same bed as Pete was just a bad idea. Zeick didn’t want to turn Geon into a scratching post. And no one asked Kelin to share his place of sleep.

#

“One, two, three, four, and, oh, five. Well, get up kids,” Var said while standing in the midst of the room. “Must have miscounted before. I could have sworn there was a different number.”

The five boys woke up to Var’s huge frame standing amongst them. None of them were awake enough to realize just how little sleep they had received, though the fog in their minds gave them some idea.

“Just five more meat buns,” Pete said sleepily, “and tartar sauce. Mom?” Pete woke when he realized his pillow was not edible.

“I said get up!” Var roared. He was extremely loud, and within seconds all five boys were wide awake and standing up. Var smiled at this. “Great. Now, baths. Then, we go. Back to Rising, young lads. Commander is getting us out of here as soon as possible. Be glad, you’ll see your parents soon enough.” Var left the room after that.

Teena was already up and about, serving food and helping other people in the inn get around. Her hair was braided in back and messy in front. She still smiled, though she looked very tired. The boys, for their part, summoned enough strength and willpower to eat, shake out their clothes, and bathe. All of which were temporary solutions to their recent hygiene. When they had finished bathing, Var was waiting for them. All of them, including Teena, were grouped together by Var.

“You’re Teena, right? Innkeeper told me about your situation. You’ll be in the first group to go. That all right by you?” Var asked.

“Yes. I prepared my belongings already in preparation for this. Thank you, Sir Var.” Teena did the same curtsy she had done before. The boys were confused at the meaning of the exchange, as usual, but were nonetheless happy that Teena would be coming with them.

“So, we won’t ask,” Kelin said abruptly, “instead, play with us. I guarantee you I will win over you at this one game. It’s cards, but your reflexes will be challenged.”

“You’re on,” she said with a mischievous smile.

Time passed slowly while they traveled. The cards the boys had taken from the room saw a lot of play, but soon they ran out of games they could play without going crazy. Pete and Zeick were nursing some punctures on the back of their hands, a result of playing games with several lupus. Geon kept quiet for the majority of the time, and sat at the back of the cart looking out. He’d play on the xylophone from time to time, but he never stopped having a melancholy look.

Eventually they found out that Teena was with them because she had no family. Her parents had died, which everyone had guessed long before she said it. The innkeeper took her in soon after, and she had been working since then. She said it happened long ago, but otherwise she didn’t expand on the details. It was enough to appease everyone’s curiosity. In like manner, Va’il talked a bit about how he only lived with Mai’ou, and never knew his father.

Zeick also picked up on the mood, and decided to talk about his situation as a half as well. This was surprising, since the other boys didn’t know much about his situation before this. Zeick explained that the man he lived with was not his father. His mother had fallen for a felis man, even though she was married at the time. His father was always concerned with prestige, so at times his love was lacking. Things happened, and the felis man disappeared soon after. Zeick was born a few months later. He had human ears and hands, which his parents considered divine providence. When he was younger, his teeth were human at first. When his second set started to come in, fangs appeared, and the idea to file them down was considered by his parents. They did not attempt it. Everyone breathed a sigh of relief at that, since just the thought of having their teeth filed was maddening. Especially to the three lupus, each of which felt twinges of pain at the thought of having filed fangs. Va’il was proud of being lupus, even if he didn’t have as many fangs as Teena and Kelin. Zeick went on to explain that the reason he was kept by his current father was because of prestige and status issues. Zeick said he still doesn’t know exactly what Kelin did to allow him to stop hiding his identity, and Kelin wouldn’t speak of it either. No amount of prodding by Teena would reveal it.

Several days went by as the trip went on. They stopped briefly in Nopass, where another hot meal awaited them. This time, Var kept a close eye on the group, though it wasn’t really necessary. Teena got to sleep in a bed, and the five boys slept on a floor. It was far more comfortable inside a house and on the floor than camping outside.

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